Schott's Miscellany
Schott's Miscellanies are a set of best-selling books by Ben Schott. They consist of a collection of trivia generally centred on the culture of the United Kingdom (and to a lesser extent the rest of the European Union and the Commonwealth). Bloomsbury published the first book in 2002, to widespread acclaim. The books are as follows: Schott's Original Miscellany, Schott's Food & Drink Miscellany, Schott's Sporting, Gaming & Idling Miscellany, and Schott's Quintessential Miscellany. Together the first three books have sold over two million copies, and Schott's Original Miscellany has been translated into more than 13 languages (including Japanese). Schott also compiled the annual Schott's Almanac, a modern take on the traditional almanac.
In December 2005, The Guardian newspaper, which described Schott's Original Miscellany as "the publishing sensation of the year", produced a special edition of its G2 section with selections from the book's 2006 edition.
Parodies
Shite's Unoriginal Miscellany, written by "A. Parody", spoofs the series.